Govt applauds private sector in Covid-19 fight Industry and Commerce Minister, Dr Sekai Nzenza (right), poses for a photo with James North general manager Mr Sifelani Jabangwe during a tour of the factory in Harare yesterday

Harare Bureau
THE Minister of Industry and Commerce, Dr Sekai Nzenza, has commended the role played by the private sector and other partners in the fight against Covid-19 whose continued spread across the world has disrupted economies.

Zimbabwe has also been affected and has so far recorded 10 positive cases and one death. The Ministry of Industry and Commerce has been engaging the private sector in the fight against Covid-19 and the response has been positive.

This has seen companies and civil organisations pooling resources to complement Government efforts to improve health infrastructure, procure healthcare consumables and raise awareness as part of mitigation strategies against the spread of Covid-19.

“As a Government we applaud the private sector and captains of industry for supporting the lockdown declared by the President. We are continuously reviewing the guidelines for essential services in conjunction with our key stakeholders to ensure that there is minimum disruption to the delivery of goods and services,” said Dr Nzenza.

The minister who chairs the inter-ministerial taskforce on Covid-19’s sub-committee on materials production, yesterday visited James North (Zimbabwe) (Pvt) Ltd, a manufacturer and distributor of PPE (personal protective equipment) where she was shown various protective gear to protect health workers and the public against Covid-19.

Dr Nzenza commended the company’s commitment and initiative in supporting Government efforts in the fight against Covid-19 by scaling up of production of PPE. “This is an opportunity to implement the local content strategy, which is being spearheaded by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce in order to promote value addition and beneficiation of local resources,” she said.

The minister urged businesses to enforce the preventive methods prescribed by the Ministry of Health including social distancing, washing and sanitisation of hands, early detection, screening of employees and visitors to workplaces.

The enforcement of the nationwide lockdown is meant to curb the spread of Covid-19 which is claiming thousands of lives daily worldwide.

Dr Nzenza said the Ministry of Industry and Commerce will continue to work closely with key stakeholders to ensure that critical goods and services are available during the lockdown period. She emphasised the need to ensure protection of the lives of the employees through strict adherence to occupational health and safety measures prescribed by the Ministry of Health.

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